More US Employers Are Planning On Hiring Workers Than At Any Time Since The Financial Crisis

NEW YORK (Reuters) - More employers in the United States plan to
hire workers next quarter than in any period since the fourth
quarter of 2008, according to a survey by Manpower Group, the
global employment services giant.

Manpower's quarterly survey released Tuesday found most employers
around the globe were uncertain about hiring more workers in the
July through September period given tepid consumer demand. There
were certain bright spots, however, with employers in the United
States and some parts of Europe feeling cautiously optimistic.

"If you look at it from a global perspective, the overall feeling
is that there are definitely challenges," said Manpower's CEO
Jeff Joerres. But he said employers are more optimistic than in
past months about global economic prospects.

Manpower, which surveyed 42 economies, found that employers in 31
countries and territories planned to hire next quarter. Hiring
intentions strengthened in 17 economies, including Spain, Greece
and the United States, compared to the previous quarter.

Hiring intentions remained unchanged in four economies and
weakened in 21, including France, China and India.

The United States added 175,000 jobs last month after adding only
149,000 in April, the Labor Department said on Friday. The
unemployment rate rose a tenth of a point to 7.6 percent.

The United States' net employment outlook ticked forward one
point from the previous quarter to a seasonally adjusted plus-12,
the report said. The outlook measures the difference between
those adding jobs and those cutting jobs. Manpower's index is a
directional indicator rather than a predictor of the size of job
gains.

For the second consecutive quarter, employers in all 50 states,
Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico have reported positive hiring
plans, Manpower said.

Joerres said U.S. companies still have concerns about what will
happen next in areas like Europe or China, about healthcare costs
and general uncertainty.

"In the past, that would shock the system," he said. "Today,
we're used to shocks."

More than one in four employers in the U.S. construction sector
have said they will hire in the quarter beginning in July, the
strongest outlook since before the global recession. This is a
positive sign for the housing market, Joerres said.

In Europe, hiring has stalled with growing uncertainties among
employers, the report said. But Joerres said the region has had
some positive indicators, including in Greece, which has seen its
still-negative hiring outlook improve for four consecutive
quarters.

"We're not saying Europe is out of the woods," Joerres said.
"It's that Europe is still moving and driving towards an overall
solution rather than falling off the cliff, and that's positive
for the rest of the world."

'LESS EMERGING AND MORE MATURE'

Hiring outlooks weakened in most of the Asia Pacific region, most
significantly in India, which reported the weakest expectations
since joining Manpower's survey eight years ago.

While none of the Indian employers surveyed by Manpower said they
intended to reduce their workforce this quarter, the hiring
expectations dropped 6 points from the previous quarter and 28
points from a year earlier to a plus-18. Joerres said the decline
is partly due to the slowdown of India's business process
outsourcing industry, which has matured.

"The Indias and Chinas of the world are in some ways less
emerging and more mature, and are feeling some of the illnesses
of a mature economy," Joerres said.

Sixty-one percent of Indian employers have also struggled to find
suitable employees, telling Manpower that recent graduates of
India's business and engineering schools often lack necessary
hard and soft skills.

The talent shortage has been an issue worldwide, with a lack of
skilled trades workers topping the list. Thirty-five percent of
employers reported difficulties in filling positions due to a
talent shortage, the highest proportion since 2007.

Employers in the United States and Germany, however, reported a
smaller talent shortage this year than last year, with the lowest
percentages reported in both countries since 2010.

Thirty-nine percent of U.S. employers reported difficulties in
filling positions, 10 percentage points less than last year, and
35 percent of German employers, 7 percentage points less.